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Celebrating self-expression as a basic human right essential for the healthy growth of youth, individuals and communities COMMUNITY ARTS ADVOCATES, INC. Stephen H. Baird, Founder and Executive Director PO Box 300112, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-0030 Email: info@communityartsadvocates.org Web site: http://www.communityartsadvocates.org |
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The History and Cultural Impact
of Street Performing
by Stephen Baird © Stephen Baird 2000-2021
The following little historical references are just a glimpse of the depth and breadth of the creative spirit of the human race that blossoms on the street corners, market places, subway platforms and any other place people gather.
Newsletter Berlin lacht! e.V. February 2009
We want to inform you about our activities and possibilities
to participate in our upcoming festivities. As well, we would like to
explain a little bit about the situations of street theatre in Germany.
We hope that this will make you understand the importance of
coming to Berlin in order to support and participate in the street
theatre opportunities at the Berlin lacht! International street theatre
festival, even if the conditions might be less attractive compared to
other festivals.
About Street theatre in Germany and Berlin
Main Goals
About the Festival
First of all we want to give a big thanks to everyone who
helped us in the last years. The Berlin lacht! Festival is organized by
us, a non-profit association, where a group of people work for the
passion and the believe in the support of street-art and street
theatre. In the last years we have gotten a great audience, have won
many fans, and the press has given
even more attention. Last year we started a campaign to convince the
Berlin government to give us financial support. We tried through the
festival to open up their minds, and to demand that street arts culture
has a value for existence and a need to be developed. Street theatre
has the right and the power to bring people together free and visibly
for everyone.
Still, we are in the same dilemma… no financial support what-so-ever!
So, here we still are… a low budget and non-commercial festival. But we keep on the fight!
We can only realize the festival with the cooperation of the artists.
We hope to welcome you in June, and/or July 2009. We need all the power
of the artists to show the city once more that they have to recognize
our art and culture and to support and promote street theatre.
This year we celebrate the 6th International street theatre festival Berlin lacht! On our main base
Mariannenplatz from the 12th to the 14th of June 2009.
And again, as last year, we will continue...! We will take on, through peaceful assault, the main places in Berlin.
We are enthusiastically looking ahead to be present for 2 weekends in a row starting on the 9th of
July, 2009. (More details under Timetable)
Last year, this took Berlin into a revolutionary step forward to the acceptance of street theatre!
The aim is:
Festival Conditions -- Low Budget - please don’t forget!
Volunteer!
This year would like to welcome any persons whom may be travelling through Berlin at the time
of the festival, to give us a helping hand. What we look for are people who preferably have already
a bit of experience in theatre and/or festivals. Stage managing, stage
tech. know-how and many other aspects having to do with festival
preparation which are always of need in order to smooth out the ridged
edges.
We have no gage for this, but it’s a great way to be in an
internationally artistic environment, and contact making for other
festivals and artists from all over the globe. Furthermore, to homer
your skills in theatrics and festivals.
The same basics can be provided as written above for the artists.
Please contact for more info!
Festival Dates
6th Anniversary in our home district, and our base where everything began. Lovely atmosphere and
great audience. It is almost a kind of “social work” to play there, but every artist loves to perform for the
wild audience of Kreuzberg.
12.-14. June 2009 Mariannenplatz
Berlin, Kreuzberg
>>>download application
(http://zirkusamalgam.de/download/application-09-mariannenplatz.doc)
2nd time at Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz has become the most common place for street theatre.
Since the festivals premiere their last year, it has become Berlins
official “pitch”.
09. - 12. July 2009 Alexanderplatz
Berlin, Mitte
>>>download application
(http://zirkusamalgam.de/download/application-09-alexanderplatz.doc)
2nd time at Kürfürstendamm
At the famous Kaiser-Wilhelm-GedächtnisKirche, “Kaiser
William Memorial Church is located in Berlin on the Kurfürstendamm
in the centre of the Breitscheidplatz. The original church on the site
was built in the 1890s. It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943.
The present building, which consists of a church with an attached foyer
and a separate belfry with an attached chapel, was built between 1959
and 1963. The damaged spire of the old church has been retained and its
ground floor has been made into a memorial hall.” This is one of
Berlins Biggest Tourist attractions. More than 20000 People pass by
every day, and it was the centre of Berlin before the wall came down.
16.-19. July 2009 Kurfürstendamm
Berlin, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
>>>download application
(http://zirkusamalgam.de/download/ application-09-kudamm.doc
Please fill out the application forms suitable for the dates you want
to participate in the festival and send it back to us by the 1st of
April 2009 the latest. If you haven’t send
promotion material yet, please do so.
Other festivities
2nd international festival “Trans Yapit” culture weeks of Free Art in open Spaces
Berlin lacht! goes Istanbul…
Last year we helped to organize an Open Arts festival for three weeks
within a small gypsy area in the Asiatic part of Istanbul. We succeeded
in bringing local and international artists together to develop a
programme filled with workshops and performances.
Please check the website for more information! www.trans-yapit.eu
25. September-18.October 2009
Kadiköy, Istanbul
>>>download application
(http://zirkusamalgam.de/download/application-transyapit.doc)
2nd time Culture Christmas market at Marheinekeplatz, Kreuzberg
This past Christmas, Berlin lacht! spread itself out again and we beat the cold with
bringing street art and theatre into the streets to warm up the hearts of the people.
This varied cultural offering in the icy outdoors met the Berlin public with surprise and fulfilled laughter.
27.November-23. December 2009 Marheinekeplatz
Berlin, Kreuzberg
>>>download application
(http://zirkusamalgam.de/download/application-weihnachtsmarkt-09.doc)
If you know of any other artists, performers and/or other individuals whom may be interested in
participating and/or helping our organization, please do not hesitate to forward this letter to them.
If you don’t want to receive any more Newsletters please send it back to the following address.
no-newsletter@berlin-lacht.de
all our spirit and kind regards
Berlin lacht! e.V.
Noa N., Thomas Plattner
· Berlin lacht! e.V.
· Revaler Str. 99
· Tor 2 , Halle 25
. 10245 Berlin
. Tel.: +49 30 69204228-1
. Fax. : +49 30 69204228- 9
· Mobil +49 163 8295722
· booking@berlin-lacht.de
· http://www.berlin-lacht.de
. Steuernummer: 27/661/52567
Vereinsregisternr: 24465 NZ
Amtsgericht Charlottenburg
Berlin lacht!
Association for the promotion of Street art and – culture,
presents the “Tour de Berlin” Street
theatre…on
three weekends - one after the other!…at 3 locations!
http://berlin-lacht.de/
Berlin Lacht! The
International Street Theatre Festival is making a
tour this year. The goal of this action is to establish street art for
the citizens of Berlin on a long-term basis. These festivals are only
one starting point. The following places specified are suited due to
their situation and their pedestrian frequentation, also without the
Festival.
Dates:
22.- 24. August 2008 at Alexanderplatz
29.- 31. August 2008 at Breitscheidplatz/ Ku-Damm
05.- 07. September 2008 at Falckplatz, Mauerpark
Circus Demo - On 22.08.20008, the 2nd “Tour de
Berlin”
Circus demo, in form of a procession will take place. This procession
will begin at Alexanderplatz and proceed onto the Red Town Hall. Their,
there will be a demonstration in order to bring attention in regards of
the political- cultural situation of circus and
street
theatre in Germany.
Then it will proceed back again to Alexanderplatz where a closing
speech will follow and the grand Opening of the festival! ,Meeting
point is on 22.8.08 at 15:00 at Alexanderplatz (World-time-hour)
Further information is in the appendix… Also, we are still
looking for motivated helpers for during the weekends. Potential
hard-striders, fighters and enthusiasts please respond and send a
message to info@berlin-lacht.de
Berlin lacht!
Numbers and Facts
April 24, 1990 article by Henry Kamm appeared in the International Herald Tribune details the legal battle for the right to perform in the "New" Germany and how it propelled Kurt Masur into a national political figure. A later article noted the first new law for the unified Berlin was a law to allow street performances. The right to sing on the street personified the very concept of "freedom" for those whe emerged from the Iron Curtain.
Click for a PDF version of the article here
Street Arts and Buskers Advocates
Copyright © 1999-2021 by Stephen Baird
